Protocol for Landsat-based Monitoring of Landscape Dynamics in North Coast and Cascades Network Parks: Version 2
Antonova N, Copass C, Kennedy R, Yang Z, Braaten J, Cohen W. 2012. Protocol for Landsat-based Monitoring of Landscape Dynamics in North Coast and Cascades Network Parks: Version 2. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCCN/NRR—2012/601. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Landscape dynamics refers to a large suite of ecological and geomorphological processes occurring across broad spatial scales. As part of Vital Signs Monitoring, the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) of the National Park Service developed a protocol for monitoring landscape dynamics using remote sensing. Protocol implementation involves cooperative work with the Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing in Ecology (LARSE) at Oregon State University, leveraging their use of Landsat remotely sensed imagery to detect landscape change. LARSE has developed a set of algorithms called LandTrendr (Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery). The core goal of this protocol is to detect and map eight types of landscape change due to both natural and anthropogenic causes in the NCCN parks and surrounding study areas using annual LandTrendr data. LandTrendr has come to refer to the suite of change-detection algorithms which tracks the spectral trajectory of Landsat pixels through time. The main steps in the LandTrendr process include processing Landsat imagery, then smoothing the spectral index signature of each pixel into coherent segments describing periods of stability or change. The primary outputs from LandTrendr are the year of change onset, the duration of change, and the magnitude of the change. LandTrendr outputs are processed into patches based on the year of onset and duration of change, resulting in a polygon layer with a minimum patch size of nine-pixels or 0.8 ha (2.5 acres) representing landscape changes of less than 4 years in duration. A Random Forests classification model is then applied so that the change polygons are labeled by their change type. The eight change types of interest are: Avalanches, Clearings, Development, Fires, Mass Movements, Progressive Defoliation, Riparian, and Tree Toppling. Field and office validation of the labeled results is conducted to determine the accuracy of the Random Forest classification. For each park in the NCCN, data analysis and reporting will occur every three years and trends will be reported every 10 years. With the development of the Landscape Dynamics Monitoring Protocol, NCCN represents one of the first natural resource management agencies in the country to use the dense Landsat time-series data for monitoring.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Antonova, Natalya; Copass, Catharine; Kennedy, Robert; Yang, Zhiqiang; Braaten, Justin; Cohen, Warren
- Date of Issue
- 2012-12
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- EBLA , IMDP , LEWI , MORA , NCCN , NOCA , NRSS , OLYM , SAJH
- Keywords
- avalanche, clearing, Development, ETM+, FIRE, Laboratory for Applications of Remote Sensing in Ecology, Landsat, Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery, Landscape, LandTrendr, LARSE, mass movement, Monitoring, NCCN Monitoring Protocol, North Coast and Cascades Network, progressive defoliation, randomForest, Remote Sensing, Riparian, tasseled cap, Thematic Mapper, tree toppling
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Landscape Dynamics | Land Cover and Use
Series
Other versions
- Protocol for Landsat-based monitoring of landscape change in North Coast and Cascades Network parks: Version 2.1
- Protocol for Landsat-Based Monitoring of Landscape Dynamics at North Coast and Cascades Network Parks